One of my presiding goals with Sins of Our Mother is to challenge how you, the player, think about and play Dungeons & Dragons. I designed the stories and game systems inside to upend expectations and to push the game in new directions. To showcase what I mean, I’m doing a “Meet the X” series leading up to the release that delves into some of Sin’s most unique facets. So, let’s Meet the Medusite.

The Medusite’s power comes from accessing their ancestors’ memories. At first, they just inherited an ancient martial art honed over generations. That’s interesting… but how can a Monk with extra steps challenge players’ expectations? So, I took it one step further. Medusites remember EVERYTHING. I won’t say why (that’s for you to discover), but they inherit the sum of a species’ memory. They recall with equal acuity their progenitors’ first stumbling steps onto land, and their great grandfather’s last gasping breath.

Serpents are complicated symbols. They’re often seen as evil tempters like Satan in the Garden of Eden. Yet they can also symbolize cycles and rebirth like with the ouroboros. Me, I find snakes terrifying. That fear fascinates me. I used to have nightmares of a great serpent that’d erupt from the earth’s crust and swallow me, my family, and my house whole. The same snake would appear again later in my nightmares following my first car wreck.

I’ve read that phobias of serpents, spiders, and other one-hit KO creepy crawlies could be an evolutionary advantage or learned fear. The first theory argues that humans who feared snakes were more likely to avoid them, and thus survive. The learned fear theory goes that we learn to despise snakes from our parents and the stories we consume.

I’m certainly in the later category. My dad hated snakes so much he’d stand on the porch with a pair of binoculars scanning for water moccasins. When he’d finally spot one, he would run out with his pistol and start shooting. He was no hunter, though. He hated killing, but happily made an exception for snakes.

All this learned fear turned into fascination when I started reading Ovid. Medusa, a victim, was blamed and punished for her own rape. Minerva cursed her, transforming her hair into serpents and made her gaze petrify. This entwining of serpent and human struck me as terrifying and equally enthralling. It was as if I were turned to stone, and couldn’t look away.

But what do all of these themes mean for Medusite in Sins of Our Mother? I wanted something that combined primordial memory, body horror, and inheritance. Thus, Reminiscence was born.

Your connection to the eternal chain grows deeper. The Symbiote gains a number of Sequence slots equal to your proficiency bonus. You may fill these slots with traits you gain from Inheritance Memories (unlocked at 4th level) or other creatures.

When you Devour a creature via Voracious, you may absorb part of their essence. A creature’s essences include:

You cannot gain a creature’s Innate Spellcasting this way.

Damage resistances and immunities apply only to the Symbiote, but senses and condition immunities apply to the host. Special traits may apply to either the host or the Symbiote, whichever is most relevant.

You may choose which type of essence to plunder, but only the goddess may determine what you gain, if anything.

Essences persist until you complete a long rest. If you plunder an essence while you possess no empty Sequence slots, you must replace an Inheritance Memory trait or the oldest essence. When an essence that overwrote an Inheritance Memory trait expires, regain the Inheritance Memory trait.

I love this class feature. It accomplishes everything Catacolyte strives to do in the tabletop space. Reminiscence extends the play area into the realm of imagination. The feature asks players to treat monsters as a potential resource. It encourages them to play while wondering what they might become. In essence, players can use Reminiscence (and its supporting class features) to build their own subclass.

So, what do you think? I’ve always wanted to play a snake themed character, but nothing’s ever scratched the itch. I’ve tried a Druid who exclusively wild shapes into snakes (that was fun), a serpentine Wizard in Deadfire using the unique Cobra Strike spell, and more. I hope you also find the Medusite fun and interesting. That’s it for now. Thank you for reading! Check back soon for more insights into the project!

Ashton Baker

Catacolyte Games